B.C. govt. building. (Image Credit: Flickr / Govt. of B.C.)

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Minimum wage increase

B.C.’s minimum wage to increase to over $18/hr

Feb 26, 2026 | 9:00 AM

VICTORIA – The province announced Thursday morning that British Columbia’s lowest-paid workers will get a 40-cent raise later this year.

According to a statement, the minimum wage will increase from the current rate of $17.85 an hour to $18.25 an hour starting June 1, 2026.

The province says annual minimum-wage increases are based on the province’s average inflation rate from the previous year. B.C.’s average monthly inflation in 2025 was just over 2.1 per cent.

“Working people in our province are feeling the pressure of inflation,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour. “That’s why we acted to bring in annual minimum-wage increases, which have helped paycheques keep up with increasing costs of essentials like food and transportation. This matters for everyone, and especially for minimum-wage workers, the people doing the jobs so many of us rely on every day.”

Types of wages affected by the 2026 increase:

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* The increase taking effect on June 1 applies to the general minimum wage.

* The same increase applies to specialized minimum wages, such as the rates for resident caretakers, live-in home-support workers, live-in camp leaders and piece-rate agricultural workers.

* The increase also applies to the special minimum wage for app-based ride-hailing and delivery-service workers, established in September 2024.

* Effective June 1, 2026, the minimum wage for app-based ride-hailing and delivery service workers is $21.89 per hour of engaged time.

* Minimum piece rates for hand-harvested crops will increase by the same percentage on Dec. 31, 2026.

Since 2017, the province says it has implemented regular, gradual increases to the minimum wage to give workers certainty and to give businesses predictability. In 2024, minimum-wage increases were protected in law, with the amount automatically tied to the previous year’s inflation. Over time, these changes have moved B.C. from near the bottom to among the highest minimum wages in the country. B.C. has the highest minimum wage among all Canadian provinces.

The B.C. government says there were no minimum-wage increases in B.C. for nine consecutive years between 2002 and 2010, or in 2013 or 2014. In 2011, B.C.’s minimum wage was the lowest in Canada at just $8 per hour.

The province says the minimum wage has increased alongside broader wage growth in the province. Over the past five years, the average hourly wage in B.C. has grown by nearly 26%, increasing from just over $30 an hour to nearly $38.